JugendTanzTheater: Picasso
In its latest project, Ballett Dortmund’s JugendTanzTheater follows in the footsteps of the artist Pablo Picasso. He himself said: “Painting is not an aesthetic endeavor, it is a form of magic, destined to be a mediator between that strange, hostile world and us. It is a way to seize power by giving shape to our horrors as well as our desires.”
Explaining the world through art—dance—and making it their own was the incentive for the dancers and their choreographer Justo Moret to engage with the exceptional artist and select seven focal points: The chaos in the head finds its way onto the canvas. The suicide of his friend triggers a deep sadness that is reflected in the figures of the Blue Period. It is replaced by melancholy and renunciation in the Pink Period. Then a break with all conventions: Cubism is born. Faces become masks, bodies become geometric figures. For a short time, peace and serenity returned. Life appears like a summer on the beach, cheerful and light. Then the war painting Guernica breaks in, bringing chaos and destruction.
For the first time, the JugendTanzTheater has the opportunity to work with music composed especially for this production. In close collaboration with Justo Moret, Tommy Finke, who was head of the music department at Schauspiel Dortmund for many years, created the sound for the seven images. In the JugendTanzTheater, non-professional dancers have dedicated themselves to dance and rehearsed for their project several times a week for months.
Premiere on July 3rd, 2024
1 h 15 min
Theater Dortmund
In cooperation with the Academy for Theater and Digitality. Piece development as part of the PlayOn! project funded by the European Union.
1 h 15 min
Theater Dortmund
In cooperation with the Academy for Theater and Digitality. Piece development as part of the PlayOn! project funded by the European Union.
Text and images by Theater Dortmund
